Reviving Hope
by GoldGuardian2418
Summary: Ben and Rook rescue Charmcaster from a slave trader, but she's given up on life. Can they convince her to give herself another chance? Written by guestsurprise. I only posted it for them. :)
1. Chapter 1

**Another fantastic story from guestsurprise. :) **

**Ben 10 belongs to Cartoon Network and Man of Action. **

**This story takes place in an alternate universe.**

* * *

**Reviving Hope**

Ben's eyes widened in horror as the great Charmcaster was brought before him! He had not seen her since the time where she tried to trade all of those people's souls for her father's soul!

She was now part of an alien slave trade and she was not even fighting! Ben just happened to be on a planet that was honoring him for saving them and they brought her out before he and Rook! They thought a healthy servant slave would make Ben happy!

"CH-CHARMCASTER?!" Ben said in shock. She only looked at him with weary eyes and turned away. She didn't even seem to care that she had been captured!

"What is the matter with her? She is allowing herself to be sold?" Rook asked in shock.

"I think so, but this is wrong. No one should be sold like this and SHE of all people wouldn't allow herself to be captured," Ben said, now standing and walking over to her. "Charmcaster? Snap out of it!"

No response.

"HEY! Charmcaster, c'mon!" Ben pleaded.

No response.

"Lord Ben, would you like to take this human female? She is a great price," the alien slave trader said. Ben gave him an angry glare and then grabbed the chain from his hands.

"Let her go! And take off this chain!" Ben snapped.

"I-I cannot do that! This chain is made by magic and until the person says the right words, it can't be taken off," the slave trader said. "She was just given to me like this from another guy! I don't know how to take it off!"

Ben's eyes widened! How long was she a slave?! Ben then looked back at her and saw her looking down at the ground, still unmoving. Ben then snarled at the alien slave trader!

"GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!" Ben ordered. The man did as he was told and took off running with his troops. Rook and Ben then looked as Charmcaster sat on the ground, clearly defeated. Ever since she tried to trade those souls for her father, she saw herself as lower than dirt. Even her own father was disappointed that she was willing to do such an act.

"Charmcaster? What's going on?" Ben asked, now kneeling down in front of her.

"Finish me…," came the low words.

"WHAT?!" Ben said in horror.

"You heard me. Finish me, Tennyson. I am tired and already failed my deceased father. Finish me." She said quietly.

"Now look, Charmcaster…,"

"YOU HEARD ME!" She thundered, now staring at him with angry blue eyes. "AND IF YOU DON'T THEN I WILL MYSELF!"

And with that she stood, but Ben quickly gave a quick tug that pulled her back to him! Her neck chain was still strong!

"Oh no, you don't! According to this, you belong to me for now and I have no intention of letting you do something like this," Ben said seriously.

"Oh, please," she said, rolling her eyes. "We were enemies; you shouldn't care about what happens to me."

"But we do," Rook said, making her look at him. Charmcaster tried to pull back, but Ben pulled her to him with a confident grin.

"Until I figure out how to release you, you're going to stay with us," Ben said, making her look at him angrily and try to get the chain off. Both young men chuckled at her futile attempts; Charmcaster was theirs for now.

* * *

_Later that night…_

Charmcaster was in the middle of one of her darkest dreams. She was sitting by black water and the entire environment was dank and miserable.

"This is a place I could get used to," she whispered to herself.

"Hope," a voice cooed. Her eyes became wider and wider! That was her father's voice! Spellbinder's voice!

"NO!" She screamed in a panic. She didn't want him to see her like this…miserable, dirty, and definitely a failure. Even in her dreams, she had no peace!

"Hope, where are you?" The gentle voice continued. Hope looked around wildly and saw her father appear in a ball of light. As the light disappeared, he walked towards her. "There you are, my dear."

Hope's sob got caught in her throat and she turned and fled, making her father further worry! Even in a dream, she could run and control her environment.

"Hope, wait! Stop!" He called, now running after her. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she ran faster and faster.

"No…I won't let you catch me," she said to herself.

"Please, stop! Let me help!" Spellbinder called to his daughter. But she ran even faster! But Spellbinder had magic too and he developed a large wall in front of her to stop her. As Charmcaster ran to the wall, she closed her eyes and concentrated. Once a hole appeared, she ran through it! "HOPE!"

Charmcaster's tears flowed even more at hearing her father's painful calls, but she couldn't stop…no…she could never stop.

"You will stop running from me even if I have to capture you myself!" Spellbinder said in a determined manner as he grew to the size of a giant and reached out for her. He then tried to trap her in his hands, but Charmcaster shocked him with a bolt of light. "Ow! Now halt that, young one!"

"L-Leave me be!" Charmcaster said, now running to the edge of a cliff. Spellbinder's eyes widened as he reached for her, but she jumped off!

"HOPE! THIS IS NOT THE END! I WILL FIND YOU AND I WILL NEVER GIVE UP!" Her father's voice called after her. But that was all until Charmcaster sat bolt upright! Her dream was over and it was day!

"T-That was a nightmare…," she said, now sweating.

"Charmcaster?" A voice asked. She weakly looked over and saw Ben sitting on her bed. "You okay?"

"Of course not, Tennyson! I'm a slave to you and now my father is haunting me in my dreams!" She bellowed, now trying to get up. Ben also noticed she was sweating and looking unwell.

"Charmcaster, take it easy," he said calmly.

"You are unwell," Rook said, now looking more concerned.

"I don't care. I don't care about anything." She said, now looking out of the window.

"Hope…," a voice said in her head.

"GAH!" She said, now trying to hold her head.

"You have to sleep sometime. And when you do…I will be waiting," the voice said.

"G-GO AWAY!" She replied in her mind.

"No. I love you and I will never leave you; even death can't separate us," Spellbinder cooed. "I will be waiting for you when you sleep. And when you do sleep, you won't escape me that easily again."

And with that, the voice faded and did it sound like a chuckle at the end? How could he be laughing at a time like this?! Charmcaster shook her head and let out a squeak as Ben gently poked her side. "S-Stop that!" she growled.

"Now listen, you. You are with us so let's get started. Can you give me a massage?" Ben asked.

"No." She said, now turning in sadness. Ben then transformed into his Ectonurite form and let his tentacles tickle her sides. "GAAAAAAAAH! NOAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, STOP THIS, NOW!"

"Maybe I will if you do as I told you. Give me a massage," Ben teased.

"N-NO!" She snapped.

"Fine then." Ben said, now tickling her sides more and making her laugh. Rook then joined in too!

"You know what will make him stop, Charms," Rook teased.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA STAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAP! MY NAME IS NOT CHARMS!" She belted out.

"At this point, you belong to us, so we can call you whatever we want." Ben smirked. Truth be told, he was only kidding, but he did want to nurse Charmcaster back to health and get her to stop being so hard on herself. She was sorry and now she needed to forgive herself.

"STAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAP THIS! NOAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" She pleaded, tears stringing down her face.

"Massage, Charms?" Ben winked. Finally she shook her head in defeat and Ben and Rook let her up. As she sat up, Ben gave her a smooth grin. "Be good, Charms, and maybe we will release you."

"MAYBE?!" She said, now gasping as Rook tickled her sides.

"Well, we still have to learn how to get the chain off," Rook said with a confident grin. Charmcaster handplanted against her face. She was now trapped with Rook and Ben until further notice and her father was after her in her dreams! Why did everyone suddenly care anyway?!

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**guestsurprise's words:** **Part two is coming! What do you all think? :) **

**To guestsurprise: Hmm. A very interesting story so far. :) **

**To everyone else: Please leave guestsurprise a review, but no flames! **

**GoldGuardian2418 **


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 **

Hope struggled against her chain, but Ben and Rook made sure to keep her still. They had no intention of letting her go anytime soon.  
"Charmcaster, easy; we just wanna talk," Ben crooned.

"No! I don't want any help; I just want to get out of here!" She said angrily.

"Now calm down, Charms; it's alright," Ben said, now crawling nearer to her. "Just take it easy."

"Easy? Easy?! You all refuse to let me go!" She snapped.

"Because you aren't yourself," Ben said, now sitting down next to her.

"We just want you to get back to how you were before," Rook said.

Both Ben and Charmcaster gave him a look and Rook gave a sheepish smile. "I meant before you went on a soul-stealing spree."

Charmcaster only shrugged and then looked off into the distance. She just felt like life was going to be different and that she just wanted to be alone. Ben only sighed and pulled her closer to him and Rook.

"Charms, you gotta listen to me. This isn't right," he said.

"I don't care what's right; I need to just be left alone," she said, now turning away. Ben and Rook looked at each other and decided to give her some space.

After a few minutes, Charmcaster was about to go to sleep; she had had a long day. The two young men just silently watched over her, hoping she would come to her senses.

* * *

_Once she was asleep…_

Spellbinder found the sleeping form of his daughter on a small pile of flowers. Grinning widely, he flew over and gently touched her shoulder.

"Hope? Hope, wake up, my dear," he said, eager to see her again.

Once Hope opened her eyes, they widened in horror as the large king was before her!

"NO!" She gasped, but he managed to grab her onto his lap and held her in a bear hug.

"Wait! Please don't go!" He begged, now hugging her tightly.

"Leave me alone! I failed!" She screamed, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"No, you didn't fail Hope; now stop struggling!" He begged, now kissing her neck.

"DON'T DO THAT! JUST LEAVE ME!" She cried out to the sky as tears rolled down her cheeks in pain.

"No! I will never let you go!" He said, tears gathering in his eyes. "You did make that deal, but…,"

"BUT NOTHING! YOU SAVED THE WORLD, NOT ME!" She cried out, now wrenching loose and trying to make a run for it. But her father grabbed her ankle and made her fall. He then pinned her to the ground and she felt tears falling from his cheeks. They were beginning to soak her shirt, even in a dream.

"You're not going anywhere, my sweet Hope," he soothed, now wiping her tears from her eyes. "Listen to me; you made a mistake and I forgive you."

Hope tried to struggle, but the large king had her in his grasp and held her closer to him and he wasn't letting go.

"L-Let go of me!" She said, now trying to get up but he wrapped his legs around hers to where she couldn't get free. She squealed in frustration that she couldn't get away.

"Honey, stop and let me help you," he soothed, now pulling her to where her face was buried in his chest.

After a few minutes, Hope stopped and let him hug her tightly to his chest and she clutched him close to her. She knew she couldn't escape her father, but deep down, she didn't want to. She loved him more than her own life. She knew he wouldn't stop chasing her, even in her dreams. After a few seconds of crying, she stopped sobbing enough to speak.

"I'm sorry, Father, for failing you," she whispered.

"But you didn't fail me. You are still trying to go on," he said. "But I do want you to let Ben and the others help you."

"Why?"

"Because you're my daughter and I want you safe from harm."

"Father, I don't…,"

"You deserve some love and affection Hope. Ben and Rook clearly see you need them."

"But I don't need them! I need you!"

"And you will always have me! I will always be here to guide you and love you, but you need to let the people currently in your world help." Spellbinder said, now making her look at him as he wiped her tears.

"Father, they don't understand me!" She said. "No one on Earth cares for me."

"But they do…give them a chance," Spellbinder said, now placing a hand on her head. "Come, go to them and I will see you in your dreams tomorrow night."

"You promise?! You will come back, right?" She asked, now hugging him tightly as tears began springing down her face again.

"Of course I promise, my little Hope," he whispered, now kissing her head and soon a white mist wrapped around them, signaling her dream was ending.

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_A few minutes later…_

Charmcaster slowly opened her eyes and saw Ben and Rook smiling at her happily. They then lifted the chains in front of her face in confidence.

"Look Charms; we got it off," Ben said.

"We worked on it while you were asleep," Rook answered, now sitting down and gently patting her back. Charmcaster looked at them and then looked away in confusion.

"Why do you care about me anyway? I was a villain," she asked.

"Because no one deserves to live in misery forever, Charmcaster," Ben said. "Rook and I were just tryin' to make ya smile."

"And we wanted to let you know that we forgive you," Rook said.

"What?" She asked in confusion.

"Yes, we forgive you," Ben said, now taking her hand.

"You are welcome to stay here until we can get you settled at the Plumber's Headquarters," Rook said.

"I-I don't know," she said in an uncertain voice.

"It's alright, Charms; you're safe with us," Ben said, now sitting back and offering her some tea from a nearby table. As she took it and drank it, she looked at both of them with small tears in her eyes.

"I guess Father was right…people do care sometimes," she said lowly.

"Your father?" Ben asked in confusion.

"Spellbinder?" Rook asked in shock.

"Yes. He has been appearing in my dreams and trying to tell me everything is alright. But I didn't believe him; I felt like no one would ever forgive me for what I almost did," she said, now shedding some tears.

"But we do, Charmcaster, and your father came back to prove it to you; there are people out here that want you to be alright and have a second chance," Ben said, now patting her back gently. Charmcaster then turned and hugged them tightly.

"Please Ben…call me Hope," she said softly. "It's my real name."

"Really? Your name is really Hope?" Ben asked in surprise, now hugging her back.

"Yes. I consider you guys…my friends…and I want you to know more than the old, evil me," she said. Ben and Rook smiled and hugged her tightly.

"Then here is to a new friendship," Rook said, now hugging her tighter. Charmcaster's eyes welled up with more tears and she began to cry a bit. Perhaps there was more to her future than she thought. From the Heavens, Spellbinder smiled.

"You will be fine, my little Hope. I will always watch over you and visit you in your dreams," he grinned, now watching the three new friends embrace more. The sun was slowly beginning to shine for Charmcaster once more.

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**guestsurprise's words:** **Hope you all enjoyed it! This was based on the Ben 10 episode called 'Enemy Of My Frenemy.'**

**To guestsurprise: Awesome story, Amiga! :) **

**To everyone else: Please leave guestsurprise a review, but no flames! **

**GoldGuardian2418 **


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